Woodstock Early Bird drove the length of Route 4 from White River Junction to Woodstock this morning and we can report that, already, as promised by the Governor yesterday, along the Hartford portion of Route 4 through Quechee there are now at least four new portable message boards placed by VTrans that say things like:
“PREVENT CRASHES” and “SPEED LIMITS STRICTLY ENFORCED”
The makeshift roadside memorial for Patience Hutt is on a curve where she died in Rt. 4 car crash.
We also saw at least two Vermont State Trooper vehicles along the length of the highway, including one posted in an “unmarked” vehicle at the intersection of Route 4 and Quechee Main Street (near the Fat Hat Factory intersection). Hartford Police say they have made a commitment, with help from Vermont State Police, to more strictly enforce traffic laws along the Route 4 corridor.
Speaking of which, concerning our own responsibility to keep roads safe, for those of you who don’t know, Vermont already has a no cell phone texting law on its books:
Title 23: Motor Vehicles
Chapter 13: OPERATION OF VEHICLES
23 V.S.A. § 1099. Texting prohibited
§ 1099. Texting prohibited
(a) As used in this section, “texting” means the reading or the manual composing or sending of electronic communications, including text messages, instant messages, or e-mails, using a portable electronic device as defined in subdivision 4(82) of this title, but shall not be construed to include use of a global positioning or navigation system.
(b) A person shall not engage in texting while operating a moving motor vehicle on a highway.
(c) A person who violates this section commits a traffic violation as defined in section 2302 of this title and shall be subject to a penalty of $100.00 upon adjudication of a first violation and $250.00 upon adjudication of a second or subsequent violation within any two-year period. (Added 2009, No. 150 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. June 1, 2010.)
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 